Monday, August 30, 2010

It Said "Transmission Faulted"

This car was supposed to be moved to OKC by a moving company. They never showed up so here we are in New Mexico.

Okies love their American trucks, but not many Rovers in town. Someone pointed to my car when I went to the Farmer's Market and said, "You're the one who moved onto Harding. You're the medical student, right?" Kinda,.... that's right.

The car pooped out on our way to the airport, so it's at the dealer right now. Basically, the engine failed to start, and the gears wouldn't switch. So, we cruised the car to Bob Moore Land Rover which is really one door in SuperTarget-of-auto-dealerships. The one service agent that takes care of the Rovers asked me, "Did you turn the engine off and start it again? That usually takes care of the problem." Uh.... So, he started the car and he says, "Yeah, the engine just shut off (then he just looked at me)". Ummm, yeah... so, can I leave the car to be serviced?? I am living on earth? or where I am? I am speaking perfect English, remember?

We agree that the car needs to be fixed. So, I tell him that we are trying to catch a flight so I ask about a loaner/rental car (standard since the Range is under warranty). He refuses since it'll just be "sitting at the airport all weekend." Sitting at my house or sitting at the airport- I didn't see the difference... but I see that we are not speaking the same English at this point. My mom asks him to call us a cab. He says, "A cab won't come for at least 40 minutes." Ok, then.... and he leaves us on the curb outside the service area. So, I call my dog sitter...

I'll be back in OKC tonight. The car will still be at the dealer for at least one more day. I need to the pick up a rental car in the morning. I may need to bring someone to help translate English to English.....

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Me v.s. Bugs

This is the artillery I used for the war I declared on the bugs. The house I'm renting was still being renovated when I moved in, so it had not been cleaned and was filled with a variety pack of insects. So, I was fighting them and losing miserably.... parts of my body looked like Will Smith when he ate that seafood in Hitch. But look what I'm packing now....

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Not Normal

I rarely know much about life outside of medicine, but I know that this is not normal. It's been 11 days now of some sort of sewage in the house, showers not draining or draining the opposite way it's supposed to, toilets flushing well (we haven't flushed paper down the toilet for the past week- I like to pretend like we live in Greece.)... but now flushing the toilet is a new game- you never what is going to come back at you or where in the house it is going to come up and out of... so exciting. My life has never been this exciting in LA... and people said Oklahoma living would be quiet....

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Mark it!

The utility company came by last weekend to mark up the backyard so the plumber would know where not to dig up the electrical lines (danger!). Little dog extra-marked the areas....

The gardener didn't show up that morning to mow the lawn, but I guess it really didn't matter since it was gonna be all dug up anyway. This is kinda been a theme here- sometimes people just don't show up for things...???

So, the sewage situation in the house turned the showers and toilets into mini active volcanoes a few days later. If we bothered them too much, they would get angry and erupt poop and other stuff... but we never knew when it would happen, or where it would splash... keeping us sharp! like ninjas! as all Asians should be!

When it started happening with every flush, I finally decided that we should go somewhere with functional plumbing.. after all, this really isn't Greece. (I am now immune to sewage smells.) So, we are staying in downtown Oklahoma City in a furnished apartment. It's been 5 days, and we are moving back home today!

Home Round Home




Actually, the house isn't round... just the bathroom in the center of it is kinda roundish... hence the curved mirrors that remind you of the circus.

Every where you go, you see this big brick bathroom in the center of the house... you have to walk around it to get from the kitchen to the great room.. to the bedrooms.... but I know it'll be my favorite room when the tornado hits. I've already filled it with water bottles, weather radio, batteries magazines (who knows how long we'll be stuck in there??), blanket, dog treats... just got to find my snowboarding helmet. They say that things "fly around" in a tornado, so you must protect your head. uh, ?!?!? ... ok... I wonder if they make doggie helmets... I will need an large and an ex-small.

It's Super Target!

This is where I spend a good deal of time these days. This place has EVERYthing.... I could not believe my eyes. I got lost the first time I went in. This photo was taken on a Friday night, because that's the kind of crazy thing I do on Fridays! Go to S-Target and get a watermelon... AND a shower caddy. They have a humongous dispenser of cart wipes and alcohol hand sanitizer right when you walk in (it's by the area where you can weight your mail and send packages- uh huh!)... I have never seen anyone else use it. I consider it my personal stash of wipes. I wipe the cart, my tote, sometimes my clogs.... then I go! S-Target understands me.

My best S-Target trip to-date was when the cashier told me that he was "astounded that you speak perfect English!" I thanked God that I did because it's really the only language that I know well.... Then I thought, I am astounding here! Really, I can die now- what else is there for me to be?? So, every chance I get, I try to speak very loudly in public so that people can witness my perfect English. I looove to astound people.

Can See from Space

This building is a restaurant in Oklahoma City called the Prohibition. I think that years back, the city planned on tearing it down but Okies (that's what they call themselves... I am not one of them yet...) voted to keep it since there are only a few of these in the US. Have you ever seen anything like it? I haven't been inside, but I think it would make a great home, if there were more windows...

Friday, August 20, 2010

Sewage Backing Up

Last week, this brown stuff came bubbling UP and OUT of the shower drain like there was a poltergeist living under this old house. I was standing and saw it out of the corner of my eye. Doesn't smell great. It was in the house for 5 days until the land lord sent a plumber.. He doesn't work weekends.... The thing is- this house was custom built by a lady in the 60's who lived alone in Oklahoma who was a judge or something... so a smart lady. She built this really strange-looking but sturdy bathroom with brick walls in the center of the house. I think the idea was to use the bathroom as the "safe room" for when tornadoes try to tear your house down. (I've learned you're supposed to go to the center of the house, or basement, or "safe room" that is made of cement or what ever thing that won't blow away....) So, this brown stuff was in the center of the house for 5 days. I know there was poo in there because little dog kept trying to sniff it... I know, yukky....

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Prada's food


For some reason, little dog likes to eat big dog's food. Or maybe, he just likes to eat out of the big dog bowl. Anyway, the big bowl is set higher for big dog so that little guy can't get to it... so I thought... he kinda couldn't reach, so he did a sideways arching maneuver and eat one kibble at a time.

Monday, August 16, 2010

my socks



The dogs love to play with my socks. Not really "play"- steal (like Houdini- socks are in the closet so I have no idea how they get them), then carry them around all day.... even hide them from me... eventually they get tired of them, then my socks end up all over the house.

I hired a dog walker after meeting with her for about 30 minutes.....(I'll never admit out loud how desperate I was). She came over to meet the babies- they liked her. So, I handed her my house keys- and handed her my dogs the next day.... basically, I handed her my life. I cried at the thought that someone else would be walking them, that they would be following someone else..... I hoped she wasn't a single white female, you know... girls can be crazy. When I came home from work on the day of their first walk, I noticed that the 5 or so pairs of socks that used to be scattered across the living room were now gathered in a little pile. Who would have done that? Big dog? Little dog? I think I got a nice one.

Hollywood-Here I Come!

Just kidding... This is the opposite direction of going to California. This is what you see when you drive on the 40 East going toward Oklahoma City. Did you know that from Bakersfield, it's a straight shot on the 40 to OKC? Through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.. uh-huh.... and the whole thing pretty much looks like this... sometimes there are abandoned cars on the side of the road... Started driving on Wednesday from LA and got to OKC on Friday night...